1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and, more particularly, to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which allows a probe to move along a diagnosis object having a rounded surface or protruded portion so as to facilitate ultrasonic diagnosis on the rounded surface or protuberances of the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus refers to a non-invasive apparatus that irradiates an ultrasound signal from a surface of a patient body towards a target internal organ beneath the body surface and obtains an image of a monolayer or blood flow in soft tissue from information in the reflected ultrasound signal (ultrasound echo-signal).
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has been widely used for diagnosis of the heart, the abdomen, the urinary organs, and in obstetrics and gynecology due to various merits thereof such as small size, low price, real-time image display, and high stability through elimination of radiation exposure, as compared with other image diagnostic systems, such as X-ray diagnostic systems, computerized tomography scanners (CT scanners), magnetic resonance imagers (MRIs), nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatuses, and the like.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe which transmits an ultrasound signal to a diagnosis object and receives the ultrasound signal reflected therefrom to obtain ultrasound images of the diagnosis object. A controller displays the signal sent from the probe on a display screen, so that a user can diagnose the object while alternately viewing the screen and the object.
Meanwhile, a diagnosis of thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism must be verified through ultrasound examination of the neck region. Ultrasound scanning for thyroid examination is conducted using a probe around the neck of a patient laid on an examination table. Here, it should be noted that the above description is provided for understanding of the background art and is not a description of a well-known conventional technique to which the present disclosure pertains.
In ultrasonic diagnosis for thyroid examination, since the neck has a rounded circumference and protuberances, a user of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus grips and moves the probe along the neck to scan the thyroid. Such manipulation of the probe for thyroid examination can provide non-uniform ultrasound images depending on user's skill, thereby lowering reliability of the ultrasonic diagnosis. Moreover, since a user must move the probe along a rounded surface or protuberances of the neck, the user may experience wrist strain or the like. Therefore, there is a need for an improved ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.